Come Sail Away
by BeaRsBeeTsBattleStarGalacticAx
Summary: Haley has just moved to Chippewa from New York. She meets the famous freaks and geeks of William McKinley High, and well, things happen. Mischief, thrills, discovery and heartbreak.... READ TO FIND OUT MORE
1. Intro

I hate my life right now. _Why _in God's name would my parents do this to me? How could they just take me away from all my friends and everything else in New York? I blame my dad's job for this whole thing. He got fired from his job as a supervisor for an insurance company, and he found a job offer in Chippewa, Michigan of all places. That's like, half way across the country! I've been complaining about the move since Dad first told all of us about it 2 months ago. We were eating dinner like always one night, and he just dropped the bomb. My little brother Ben didn't really care; he's only ten.

Right now we're still in the car; I think Mom just said we crossed the border into Michigan and that it's only gonna be a few more hours until we get there.

"Mooom! Ben just gave me a wet Willy!" I cry.

"Kevin, stop," Mom yells, turning around in her seat. "We're not gonna be in the car too much longer."

He folds his arms across his chest and I glare at him.

* * *

We pass the "WELCOME TO CHIPPEWA" sign and I slump down in my car seat. Dad looks into the backseat through the rearview mirror.

"Why so glum honey?" he asks me.

"'Cause I hate this place already," I tell him.

"You haven't even gotten out of the car," he says.

"Well, would you be happy if your parents ripped you from all your friends at the beginning of the school year?" I ask rhetorically. "This sucks!"

"Hey hey hey, watch your mouth young lady," Mom tells me.

"Yeah, watch your mouth!" Ben mimics.

"You're _so _immature," I sigh.


	2. Meeting The Weirs

(AN: I know the intro was short, so I promise this chapter will be longer… remember to read and review!!)

We finished unpacking everything about 2 hours after we arrived at the house. It was kinda big, at least compared to our house in New York. I'll never forget that house; I _did _grow up there. There's 4 rooms- a master bedroom for my parents, two smaller rooms for me and Ben, and another room which is probably gonna be a spare room or something. I'm in my new room right now, and the walls are bare, which is making me very anxious. I can't wait to put up all my posters of Led Zeppelin, The Who, Queen, and yes, Paul McCartney. I guess I forgot to mention this before, but I _love _music. I don't think I could survive without my records.

"Haley, can you come out here for a second?" my mom call.

"Yeah, hold on," I say.

I walk out of my bedroom and into the living room. My mom, dad and Ben were getting their coats on.

"Where are we going?" I ask, getting annoyed.

"We're meeting my potential boss," he tells me. "He owns a sports shop downtown."

"We _all _have to go?" I ask.

"Yes, I wanna make a good impression on this guy," Dad says. "So come on, in the car."

I grumble incomprehensively and get in the car.

We go down a few streets and Dad parks the car in front of a brown ranch style house.

"Here we are!" Dad exclaims.

"You're nervous," Mom says.

"No, of course not," he says quickly.

"Can we just get this over with?" Ben whines.

"You're right," Dad says. "Let's go."

We all got out of the car and walked up the driveway. Dad rang the doorbell and the rest of us stood behind him.

"Okay, now you're both going to be on your _best _behavior, right?" Mom asks Ben and me.

"Yeah, yeah," I tell her.

"I will," Ben says obediently. He is _such _a mama's boy.

Suddenly, the door opens, and a girl that looks about a year older than me (I'm 15) answers the door. She's wearing a skirt below her knees and a sweater that looks like it belongs to her grandmother.

"Hi," she says. "You must be the… W-Wheelers'."

"Yes," Dad tells her. "I'm Bob."

"Dad, the job people are here," she calls into the house. "Come in, please."

A man who looks like he's in his mid forties walks to the door. From what I can tell, he's going bald.

"Hi there," he says. "Harold Weir!"

He and Dad shake hands.

"Bob Wheeler," he tells him as we walk into the house. "And this is my wife Judy, my daughter Haley, and my son Ben."

"Hey Ben, gimme five!" Mr. Weir exclaims. Ben slaps his hand. "Ooh that hurt!"

"You have a very nice house here Harold," Dad says.

"Well don't thank me, thank my wife Jean," he says with a laugh. "Speaking of, you have to meet her and the kids!" He turns around. "Jean, Lindsay, Sam! Get out here."

A plump woman with short reddish hair walks out of the kitchen.

"Hi," she says warmly.

The girl who answered the door and a skinny boy walked out of the hallway.

"Lindsay, Sam, this is Bob," Mr. Weir tells them. "He's gonna be working for me at the store."

"Hi… again," Lindsay says.

"Hello," the boy, Sam, says. He studies me and then gives me a small smile. I give him a confused look.

"Lindsay's in 12th grade, star of the matheletes and everything," Mrs. Weir says proudly. "And Sam's in 10th grade, he's… very shy."

"Really? Haley and him are in the same grade then," Mom says. "Maybe they'll be in some of the same classes at school."

"Maybe," Mr. Weir says, winking at Sam, which makes him blush.


	3. Everybody Wants Some!

(AN: I don't own Freaks and Geeks, Judd Apatow and Paul Feig do. If I _did _own it, it would've lasted more than 18 episodes.)

We stayed at the Weir's for only a couple of hours, but it felt like ten. Probably because when the parents started talking, they made us leave, which meant I was forced to hang out with either Sam or Lindsay. I knew right away that I wasn't hanging out with Lindsay, because we had absolutely nothing in common. She liked math, it was my worst subject. She listened to Fleetwood Mac, I listened to The Who. So while the parents were working things out with my dad's job, Sam awkwardly invited me into his room. When I walked in the room, I was actually really surprised. There were posters hanging up everywhere; but not like the ones I had. He has a Battle Star Galactica poster, Star Wars action figures are everywhere, a Spiderman bedspread, and my personal favorite, an autographed Steve Martin poster on the back of his door. He's really, really nice, and funny too, but he's not really the kind of kid could hang out with at school. He's shy and naïve, and even though I'm shy too, I'm very sarcastic and kind of loud.

Right now, I'm sitting in the living room, which is almost completely furnished already, watching Three's Company. Mom's in the kitchen making dinner.

"So Haley," Dad says, coming out of the hallway where the bedrooms are. "Sam's a nice boy, right?"

"Yeah, he's cool," I say. "He's kind of a… nerd though."

"Just because he likes Star Wars and Star Trek and all those other things that start with Star doesn't mean he's a geek," Mom tells me.

"He _does_ like Steve Martin and Saturday Night Live," I tell them. SNL is one of my favorite shows ever.

"That's nice," Mom says. I can hear her and Ben putting plates and forks and knifes on our small kitchen table. "Dinner's ready."

I get off the couch, click off the TV and go into the kitchen to eat.

* * *

It's already Monday… this weekend was the fastest weekend of my life. I'm getting dressed right now, and it's taking a while. I can't help it; I'm a girl, and I wanna make a good impression. I finally decided on a simple pair of jeans, a yellow and blue flannel shirt, and sneakers. I think I forgot to mention that I'm kind of a tomboy. I don't like skirts but wear them only when I have to, I like sneakers better than regular shoes, and most of my friends back home were guys. I mean, I had some close girlfriends, but I got along better with guys. I come out of my room, grab my backpack, and go into the kitchen. Dad's up already, making breakfast. Today's his first day working at Mr. Weir's store, A+ Sporting Goods I think it's called.

"Hey kiddo," he says. "Want some eggs and bacon?"

"Nah, I have to leave soon," I tell him. "So I guess I'll just have some toast."

"Okay, that's all you really want?" he asks.

"Yes," I say, getting annoyed. He puts a piece of toast on my plate.

I've taken a few bites already, when Mom comes into the kitchen.

"Oh honey!" she exclaims. "You look so cute!"

I choke on what I'm chewing on.

"You scared me," I tell her, laughing.

"Sorry, but you look very pretty," she says.

"Thanks," I say, getting up from the table. "I gotta get to the bus stop."

"Okay, well, have a good day," she says, giving me a hug.

I walk out my front door and down the street to where Mrs. Weir had told me where the bus stop was. I turn the corner and see Sam, a short, stocky kid with dark hair, a really tall and skinny kid with big glasses, Lindsay, and a geeky looking girl who's dressed almost exactly like her standing on the corner of Maple and Ashford. I get closer and stand lean against the street sign because I'm half asleep.

"Hi Haley," Sam says with a smile.

I turned towards him and his friends. "Hey," I say back.

"Sam, you _know _her?" the tall kid asks.

"Yeah, her and my dad work together," he tells him.

"She's… she's hot," he whispers a little too loudly. "H-How?"

I roll my eyes at his comment.

"Shut up Bill you're embarrassing her," the short kid says. He walks over to me a little too confidently. "Neal Schweiber. Sorry about him, he's a little… socially challenged when it comes to the ladies."

"It's okay," I tell him, almost laughing at this kid's trying to be smooth.

"So, when did you move here?" he asks.

"A few days ago from New York," I tell him.

"Oh, New York," he says. Now I'm probably turning purple from trying to hold in my laughter. "Did you… have a boyfriend in New York?"

"Neal, stop it," Bill says. "She obviously doesn't like you."

The bus pulls up to our stop.

"Oh look the bus is here!" I yell, trying to escape the awkward situation.

* * *

The first part of the day before lunch was pretty boring. Sam and his friends showed me to a few of my classes, because we're in the same grade and everything. Neal, man he's a card. He's a ladies' man, or so he thinks. So he hits on anything with a pulse, including me. Bill is really, really awkward, being almost 6' 3" in the 10th grade. He's funny though, and nice too. I have history with Sam and Bill, science with all three of them, and English with just Sam. There are some older kids in some of my classes, and Sam says they're burnouts, stoners. He also told me that his sister Lindsay used to be one of them, which I laughed at, but then she became a mathlete and a goody two shoes again when her friends almost got into a car accident when one of them was drunk.

I walk into the cafeteria and frown. Everyone has a place at a table, except me of course. I hate being the new kid. I see Sam, Bill, and Neal sitting with a very, _very _overweight kid. Bill sees me and waves a little, but then looks away. I decide not to sit with them; they're nice and all, but not the kind of kids I would hang out with. I notice that there's a door that leads outside. So I get my lunch and walk outside.

* * *

**Nick's POV **

Me, Daniel and Ken are hanging out on the patio like we always do on nice days. Ken just slapped some girl's butt and she's screaming at him. He's such an idiot. Man, I really miss Lindsay sometimes, but she was the one who broke my heart, so I'm never taking her back. And besides, she's all goody two shoes now.

"Nicholas," Daniel says, nudging my arm. "Look at the fresh meat."

"Where?" I ask, looking around.

"Right… _there_," he shows me, pointing to the girl.

I see her walking out of the cafeteria doors, carrying a lunch tray. She has brown hair and big brown eyes, really innocent looking. I recognize her; she's the girl I noticed today in English. She's new here, from New York I think the teacher said. He wanted her to come up in front of the room and introduce herself, but she was too shy.

"Ohhh, her," I say. "She's in my English class. She's a sophomore."

"Really?" he asks. "She looks like she could be in the seventh grade!"

"Yeah, she's smart," I tell him.

"Think we should introduce ourselves?" he asks me with a coy smile.

"Why not?" I say.

* * *

**Haley's POV**

I walk out into the sun and feel the cold Michigan air slap me in the face. I'm used to the cold from living in New York, but it's 10 times worse in Michigan. I heard that almost every day during the winter is either below or close to 0 degrees. It's horrible. I look around for an empty spot on a table or bench, and see a group of guys looking at me. I give them a confused look, but then realize that they probably can't tell because I'm so far away.

One of the guys has curly brown-reddish hair and is kinda chubby, another has short brown hair and is wearing a leather jacket (picture James Franco in 'Never Been Kissed' instead of in the show), and the last guy has short dirty blonde hair and was really, really tall. The sleeves on his shirt were rolled up, probably so he wouldn't look as awkward. I look away from them nervously, because honestly I'm intimidated by them.

The kid with the leather jacket motions for me to come over to them, and I look around cautiously, making sure there wasn't anyone else around that they could be pointing to. He nods, and I slowly walk towards them.

"What's your name?" he asks once I get near them.

"Haley, Haley Wheeler," I tell him, trying my best not to sound nervous.

"Daniel," he tells me with a smile. I'm getting a better look at him, and _wow_. He has light brown eyes, a nice smile, and really defined features. "Welcome to McKinley."

"Hi I'm Nick," the freakishly tall kid said. "We're… in the same English class."

"Oh yeah, that's right," I say remembering him from earlier in the day. "But aren't you…?"

"Yeah, I'm a senior," he says, sounding embarrassed. "English's my worst subject."

"Oh," I say, not known what to say next.

The chubby kid with the curly hair is just staring at me with a blank expression. I give Nick a weirded out look.

"That's Ken," he tells me. "He doesn't say much, but when he does, it's usually something funny."

"So, where're you from?" Daniel asks.

"New York," I tell him, putting my hands in my pockets to keep them warm.

"You must be used to this weather then," he says.

"Not really," I say. "It was nothing close to this."

"Do you need me to… keep you warm?" he asks with a wink.

I blush deep red, but stifle a laugh. "I'm alright," I tell him.

"Suit yourself," he says.


	4. Mixed Emotions

A week passed, and I'm hanging out with Nick, Daniel, and Ken during lunch. Daniel's cool, but he's a real asshole most of the time. Ken finally spoke, and Nick was right. He's really sarcastic and blunt, but I don't mind. Nick's a sweetheart, one of the nicest guys I've ever met. I'm closest to him out of the three boys. We started talking more during English, and I discovered we had a lot in common. We both liked The Who and Led Zeppelin, and we both didn't understand how Daniel could think Queen was gay. He was basically failing the class, so I asked him if he wanted me to tutor him.

"Sure," he said. Just then, our teacher handed back his quiz on 'The Grapes of Wrath' and he got an F. I kind of regretted asking him, because from that I knew it was going to be a challenge.

"When are you free?" I asked him.

"Well, my band practices on Wednesdays and Fridays, so I guess any other days besides those," he said.

"Do you want start today?" I asked. "'Cause that test grade…"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"We go to my house if you want," I told him.

He looked away for a second. "Parents and me… don't really mix, ya know?" he said.

"Oh-ok," I said. "Your house it is."

"No, it's cool," he said sheepishly. "My dad'll kill me if he sees this grade."

Just then, the bell rang. I grabbed my backpack and when turned to Nick before heading towards the door, it looked like he was about to hug me, but he didn't. I saw Sam staring at me blankly out of the corner of my eye.

"Ah," he said awkwardly. "See you at lunch."

* * *

I'm sitting in my room, getting my homework done before Nick comes over. I'm nervous; but not because he's coming over, because I kind of don't want my parents meeting him. My dad gets very protective when it comes to me and guys, and my mom tends to overwhelm everyone that steps into our house.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings. I jump off my bed and practically run to the door. Ben walks into the foyer.

I open the door, and Nick is standing there, with a crooked smile on his face.

"Hey Haley," he says.

"Hi, come on in," I say, motioning for him to come in.

He ducks his head a little over the threshold and walks in.

"This is my brother Ben," I tell him with no enthusiasm.

"Hi," he says, bending down a little.

Ben looks really intimidated, probably because Nick is 6' 4".

"Honey, who's at the door?" Mom asks.

"Just my friend Mom," I tell her.

"Hi there," she says. "You must be one of Haley's friends from school."

"Yeah," he says. "Nick, Nick Andopolis."

"Well, nice to meet you Nick," she says.

"Oh-kay, I gotta go tutor him in English," I tell her, pushing Nick towards the hallway where the bedrooms are.

"You guys better not do anything but study!" she calls.

"Don't worry, we will," I call back.

I hear Nick laugh under his breath.

"What's so funny?" I ask once my bedroom door is closed.

"I think your mom thinks we're going out," he says, still laughing a little.

"Great, now my dad'll be questioning you and my mom'll want you to stay for dinner," I tell him.

"Why are you worrying?" he asks. "I'll just tell them the truth."

I get him a chair to sit on, and I sit on my bed. I take out my English notebook and my copy of the next book we were reading in class, 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.

"Okay, so what do you know about the book?" I ask him.

"Well, I like that the dad is fighting for what he believes in ya know?" he says. "And that he doesn't care what everybody in the town thinks."

"Good, so you _were _paying attention," I say. "Hmmm… who are the main characters?"

"That girl, Sc-Scout, yeah her name's Scout," he says. I nod my head yes. "And… her brother Jem, her dad… Atticus, and… that's all I remember."

"It's a good start, really," I tell him.

"I pay attention and stuff, but school's just a waste for me," he says. "I'm not gonna need to know shapes and when the Civil War started to be a drummer."

"But don't you want a fallback?" I ask him. "If you don't become a drummer?"

"I dunno," he says, looking into his lap. "I guess it'd be cool if I could teach kids or something."

"See? You'd need school if you wanted to do that," I tell him.

"Haley, dinner's ready!" Ben yells.

"Okay, we're coming!" I tell him, opening my door.

Nick lets me walk in front of him.

"Haley brought her _boyfriend _home," Ben tells my dad.

"No I didn't," I growled. "Nick's just my friend."

"Well, boyfriend or not, nice to meet you Nick," Dad says. He steps in front of me to shake my dad's hand.

"You too Mr. Wheeler," he says.

"You can sit next to Haley!" Ben says.

"Shut up," I mumble, glaring at him.

He looks taken aback and sits down.

* * *

"No, I had a good time," Nick tells me as we're standing on my front porch.

"You didn't mind my brother and mom embarrassing you and my dad asking you a million questions?" I ask.

"No, they're cool," he says. "For parents."

"Yeah," I say with a chuckle.

He looks around the front of my house and out on the front lawn.

"I should go, it's getting kinda late," he says.

"Yeah," I agree. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," he says with his usual crooked smile. He walks across my front lawn and down the street. When I go back into the house, my parents and brother are in the living room, watching Charlie's Angels.

"Hey guys," I say, sitting on the end of the couch. "What episode is this?"

"Mom's mad at you," Ben tells me, not answering my question.

"What?" I ask, not understanding how she could be mad at me.

"That Nick boy… he doesn't seem like such a good egg," she says. "You never had friends like him in New York."

"He's a nice guy, and a real gentleman," I tell her. "He's nothing like our other friends."

"And what are they like?" Dad asks.

"Daniel's 19 and a senior in high school, and Ken's done so much pot he doesn't know what to do with himself if he's not high," I tell them nervously.

"So now you're friends with delinquents?" Mom asks.

"They're _not _delinquents," I say. "They've just… had their deal of trouble."

"They sound like troublemakers," Dad says sternly. "I don't want you hanging out with them… what about Sam and his friends?"

"Sam's nice and funny and stuff but… ya know what? I don't care anymore!" I cry.

"No no, you should want to become better friends with Sam," Mom says. "It'll do you some good."

"Whatever," I sigh. I go back to watching TV.


	5. New York State of Mind

It's snowing (what a surprise, living in Michigan and all), so we're actually sitting inside during lunch. I don't mind, it's getting too cold to hang around outside every day anyway. Daniel just bit into his Sno-Ball and it's stuck in his mouth. He looks ridiculous. I see Sam, Neal, and Bill sitting at their usual table with Gordon Crisp I think his name is. Sam's giving me a disapproving look like he always does when he sees me with my friends.

"Do you guys wanna see a movie this weekend?" I ask them. "There's gotta be something good that's out."

"Why do you talk like that?" Ken suddenly asks me.

"Talk like what?" I ask him back.

He chuckles. "See, that's what I'm talking about!" he says. "It's _talk_, not _tawk_."

"Oh that?" I ask. "Everybody from New York says things like that… like _chawlit_, _lawnguy land_, _cawfee_."

By now he's stuck in a fit of laughter.

"Is it really that funny?" I ask Daniel and Nick.

"At first it was," Daniel says.

I roll my eyes at him.

"I'm gonna go get a piece of that cake," I tell them. I get up and go over to the lunch line, pay for my cake and come back. "Cross your fingers boys." I take a bite of the cake and it's pretty good for cafeteria food.

"Haley, can I talk to you for a second?" someone asks me. I turn around to see Sam Weir standing behind me.

"Yeah sure," I tell him. I get up from the table and hear a chorus of "woo's" and wolf whistles from the guys.

We walk over to where the garbage cans are so that it's semi-private.

"I think our parents want us to hang out," he tells me once we're alone. "I don't mind… I-I mean do you?"

"Sam, you're really cool and everything," I tell him, not wanting to be mean.

_Oh, what the hell, I think. I'll try hang out with them once and see what happens. _

"I think it'd be fun," I say.

"Great," he says with a smile. "'Cause Neal, Bill, and I were gonna go see 'Caddyshack' on Saturday at the $5 Movie Theater and then go watch Saturday Night Live at my house."

"Awesome!" I exclaim. How could I pass up a funny movie _and _Saturday Night Live? "See you in English."

"Yeah," he says. "Bye."

I walk back to my usual table, grinning from ear to ear.

"What happened?" Nick asks.

"Did he finally ask you out?" Daniel asks in a girly voice.

"_No_," I tell them. "I'm going to see 'Caddyshack' and watch SNL with them on Saturday."

"Why? Did your parents make you?" Nick asks.

"Sort of," I say. "But I could've said no… I'm gonna try hanging out with them _once _and see what happens."

"You better not ditch us for them," Daniel mumbles.

* * *

For the rest of the week I was actually kind of excited about going to the movies with Sam, Bill, and Neal on Saturday. I guess it was because we had a lot in common; but not that me, Ken, Daniel and Nick didn't have a lot in common, it was just different. I couldn't talk to them about Steve Martin and Bill Murray, and I couldn't talk to Sam and Bill and Neal about The Who and Queen, so I guess it all balanced out.

I'm waiting for Mr. Weir to pick me up, and it's probably gonna take a while to leave, because him and my dad are probably gonna be talking for a while. I really hope we don't miss the movie.

All of a sudden, headlights shine through the front windows. I hear car doors slam and then the door bell rings. I open the door, and Sam is standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Mom, Dad, Sam's here!" I yell. "Hey Sam."

"Hi," he says, sounding excited. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah hold on, I just gotta get some money an-"

"It's okay, I'll pay for your ticket," he says shyly. "It's only five dollars…"

"Are you sure?" I ask him.

"Yeah really, it's fine," he tells me.

"Okay," I say. "Guys, I'm leaving!"

I hear a faint "Bye honey" from the kitchen. We walk out my front door and to Sam's dad's car. He holds the door open for me and I scoot into the backseat with Neal and Bill. It's kind of awkward, but I don't really mind.

"Hi Haley," Mr. Weir says once I'm in the car. "How've you been?"

"Good," I tell him.

"So Haley," Bill says. "Have you seen 'Caddyshack' before?"

"Of course!" I exclaim. "'Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!'"

Neal laughs at my accurate quoting of the movie.

"She's good," Sam says.

The lights of downtown Chippewa pass by the car, and soon we pull up in front of an older looking movie theater.

"Here we are," Mr. Weir says.

"Thanks Dad," Sam tells him as he gets out of the car.

I scoot over in the back seat and get out, with Bill and Neal behind me. We walk into the theater, and Sam pays for my ticket even though I tell him I have money.

"It's _fine_," he assures me. "The tickets are only five bucks each."

"I know, but-"

"This used to be the main movie theater in this town," Neal says as we walk into theater 4.

"It's so small," I say.

"Yeah well, this is a small town," he says.

* * *

"That was one of the best ones I've seen in a while," I say, trying to calm down from a fit of laughter.

"I know, it was hilarious!" Sam agrees.

Bill is asleep on the floor in front of us.

"Hey look guys, he's asleep," Neal whispers.

"Poke him and see if he wakes up," Sam says.

"I'll do it," I tell them. I get up from the couch; go over to where Bill is sprawled out on the floor. I'm trying to not giggle, and I poke him in the stomach.

"Gaaah!" he grunts. "What was that for?!"

"For falling asleep," Sam tells him. "It's 12:05."

"I missed Saturday Night Live?" he asks, his voice cracking a little. "Damn…"

Sam, Neal and I burst out laughing.


End file.
